Advancement of the Professions Committee

Terms of reference

The role of the Advancement of the Professions Committee is to co-ordinate and develop those streams of activity that help to advance the veterinary and veterinary nursing professions, and which are underpinned by our Royal Charter. (View the full terms of reference)

Members

• Dr Caroline Allen MRCVS - RCVS Council member
• Ms Amanda Boag MRVCS - Chair of RCVS Knowledge (Observer) and Former Council member supporting leadership
• Dr Niall Connell MRCVS - Chair of Diversity and Inclusion Working Group
• Prof Susan Dawson FRCVS - Chair of Mind Matters Initiative
• Prof John Innes FRCVS - Chair of Fellowship Board 
• Ms Lizzie Lockett - Vet Futures Project Board liaison point
• Mr Matthew Rendle RVN - Vet Nurse Futures Project Board liaison point
• Dr Christopher Tufnell MRCVS - Council member supporting innovation & global development (Acting Chair)
• Mr Tim Walker - RCVS Council member
• Dr Susan Paterson - Council Lead for Environment and Sustainability

Committee Secretary

Ceri Chick (T 020 78561034, E c.chick@rcvs.org.uk)

Meeting dates

• 11 May 2021
• 9 February 2021
• 10 November 2020
• 8 September 2020
• 5 May 2020
• 11 February 2020
• 12 November 2019
• 10 September 2019
• 7 May 2019
• 5 February 2019
• 22 November 2018

Full terms of reference

The Advancement of the Professions Committee will oversee work that is non-statutory in nature and contributes broadly to the advancement of the veterinary and/or veterinary nursing professions.

Such activity includes, but is not limited to, leadership, innovation, mental health (Mind Matters), the Fellowship, international strategy, Vet Futures, VN Futures and other workstreams to be defined by Council.

This will exclude work that is non-statutory but sufficiently covered by existing standing committees, such as postgraduate education.

The Committee will comprise the chairs of relevant working parties or taskforces, or appropriate Council member champions, together with four other members of Council (chair, lay member, veterinary surgeon, veterinary nurse), together with relevant members of the Senior Team. Other Committee members may be co-opted if necessary. RCVS Knowledge, an independent charity, will contribute by means of its Chair of Trustees who will be an invited observer. Although they each have responsibility for individual projects or areas of work, they will review and input across all areas, with collective responsibility.

The Committee will usually meet four times per annum.

The Committee will:

1. Take regular reports from the leads on these areas of work and consider the ongoing effectiveness of the work against agreed strategy, timing and resourcing, making recommendations for changes, where appropriate. Consider any additional budgetary impact of these workstreams, which would then be escalated via the Financial Controls process;
2. Ensure that potential synergies between the various projects and initiatives reporting into the Committee are identified and exploited, and that opportunities for working collaboratively to maximise the impact of workstreams is explored;
3. Provide a forum for in-depth consideration of the issues surrounding or arising from the projects and initiatives that report into the Committee;
4. Provide a forum for blue-sky thinking to support the identification and development of new non-statutory projects which would serve to advance the professions;
5. Flag up any issues of concern to the Audit and Risk Committee, via the Risk Register, particularly in terms of financial, reputational or legal risks associated with the project and initiatives reporting to the Committee;
6. Make recommendations to Council for any new streams of work which may be appropriate under our Royal Charter; and
7. Make a report to Council on a regular basis summarising the work that comes under its purview.

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